Saturn Grill mines success from consistency

-- The sandwich-focused Nichols Hills mainstay finds big loyalty in making small changes.


“You don’t mess with success.”

“When you stop growing, you start dying.” 

Which one is true? There is a big difference between stagnation and success. Stagnation occurs when change should be made, but those who should make it don’t have the ideas, the will, or the talent to make it happen.

Success, on the other hand, is when change happens only when necessary because to change what has worked so well for so long would be counterproductive.

Saturn Grill
Sign for the Saturn Grill in Nichols Hills (OKC metro) — (GREG.ELWELL/Okla City Free Press)

Anyone lucky enough to wander into the Saturn Grill in Nichols Hills can tell you this restaurant hasn’t changed much over the last couple of decades, and that’s just the way diners like it.

Saturn Grill began with Chef/Owner Joseph Royer, a graduate of the famously effective Coach House apprenticeship program. While many of the other graduates went on to head chef positions at places like Vast and Milo, others went their own way, opting to create their restaurants from the ground up. 

Royer is in that second group, except he took the lessons of fine dining and funneled them into a laid-back sandwich shop.

Saturn Grill is not the cheapest place in the Oklahoma City Metro to get a sandwich. And while there are still great cheap sandwiches, they pale in comparison to the edible masterpieces that help pack Saturn Grill’s dining room every day at lunch.

“It works itself out magically,” said general manager Julie Ewing.

Even when the tables are full and the line is long, it always seems like a seat opens up by the time the food is served, she said.

Saturn Grill
The Italian at The Saturn Grill in Nichols Hills in the OKC metro. (GREG.ELWELL/Okla City Free Press)

Being busy isn’t the only mark of a successful restaurant, but it’s certainly one of the most important. Successful restaurants know how much food to make and how much will sell without blowing open the margins that are necessary to pay for supplies, staff, rent, and profits. That kind of management is not something you learn in most culinary schools, but it’s clear Royer has internalized that lesson over the years.

Ewing has been there for the last 17 years and she said the thing that has changed most since she started was the layout of the dining room. The menu, for the most part, has seen minimal alterations to items, ingredients, and prices.

And when you bite into a spicy turkey sandwich, Saturn Grill’s best-seller, you will understand that when you do something well enough, the last thing anybody wants is to change it.

The spicy turkey is notable for a surprising pop of heat that, frankly, is often missing from items that claim to be spicy. It actually has enough sizzle to wear that name proudly.

For those who want the sandwich without that delicious tingle, there is an almost-as-popular non-spicy turkey sandwich, as well.

Saturn Grill
Spicy Turkey sandwich at the Saturn Grill in Nichols Hills, OKC metro. (GREG.ELWELL/Okla City Free Press)

The jerk chicken sandwich, on the other hand, has all the warm and comforting flavors of Jamaican jerk seasoning without the accompanying burn. I’m sure if you asked, they would happily turn up the heat, but even without the capsaicin, it is pleasantly delicious.

You can’t make a great sandwich with subpar bread, so Saturn Grill makes their own to order. They toss flatbread on to cook fresh for each sandwich when the customers order it. That attention to detail sets the stage for all the sauces, veggies, and other fillings, as well as providing a base for the restaurant’s flatbread pizzas.

Look back into the kitchen and you will see a whirlwind of activity as the staff constructs each menu item fresh when ordered. That shouldn’t be notable, but as more and more eateries have embraced pre-made and par-cooked ingredients, it becomes all the more important when a restaurant does it right.

While the sandwiches are a delight, including the cured meat paradise that is the Italian, there is much more to Saturn Grill’s menu.

If mushroom soup is available, I implore you to get it. This creamy bowl of nostalgia has the same punch of roasted mushroom flavor I would expect to receive at a steakhouse for three times the price.

Saturn Grill
The Mushroom Soup at Saturn Grill in Nichols Hill, OKC metro (GREG.ELWELL/Okla City Free Press)

The potato salad is a master class in the importance of making convenience foods from scratch. Most of the potato has been worked down into a creamy consistency with mustard, mayonnaise, and other seasonings, with the occasional medium-sized chunk of tuber to remind you that somebody in that kitchen put in the work to make it irresistible.

Much as I love a soup, a salad, and a sandwich, there are times that my tastes run toward something a bit more substantial, which is when I look to the entree menu.

One thing you might note upon seeing it yourself is that the entrees, including crispy polenta, succulent pork, and tender beef among other ingredients, only cost a few dollars more than the sandwiches. That is a mighty fine deal and one reason Saturn Grill stays busy for dinner, as well.

Like I said, it’s not the cheapest meal in the city, but for the quality, it’s awfully hard to beat.

  • Saturn Grill
  • 6432 Avondale Drive in Nichols Hills
  • saturngrill.com
  • Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
  • (405) 843-7114

Watch for our weekly column by one of OKC’s best food reviewers, Greg Elwell focused on locally-owned restaurants serving great food by neighbors you want to know.


Author Profile
author

Long-time food enjoyer Greg Elwell writes about food, restaurants, and trends. He has his own blog "I Ate Oklahoma" and has written for The Oklahoman, The Oklahoma Gazette, and others.